December 2007

photo by Don Bell

Chris and Denise Pankow earned First Place in the 1953-1962 Stock Class at the "Corvettes In Paradise" Car Show in November 2007 at Holiday Isle for their restored 1962 Corvette.

Meet Chris Pankow...

Chris Pankow migrated to the Keys in 1986 from Indiana. He worked in banking for 28 years before he "lucked out" (as he says) and found a position at FKEC in Marathon.

Together, Pankow and his wife Denise are deeply involved in the Marathon community. For the past 24 years, Denise has served as the Race Director for the Seven Mile Bridge Run and Pankow helps by designing the event shirts and driving the pace car. The pair have also volunteered for the annual Seafood Festival and always participate in the Fourth of July Parade.

"Helping out in the community was, and is, an important part of my life and my wife's life," says Pankow proudly. Chris and Denise are also involved with the Pigeon Key Art Festival and this year volunteered to be co-organizers of the February event. Pankow serves on the Board of Directors for the Pigeon Key Foundation and says the island is his favorite place in the Keys.

When he's not volunteering, Pankow keeps busy with cars. He is enamored with automobiles and especially Chevrolets, specifically the Corvette. With the support of his wife he has been restoring their prized 1962 Corvette (pictured right). The car is his passion, but his community work and his family are what make him most proud.

"Being honored as Rotarian of Year by the Upper Keys Rotary was probably the high point in my Keys life," says Pankow. "On a personal level, my son Christian is my biggest achievement in life."

His son is currently a Lab Supervisor at Shark Lab on South Bimini in the Bahamas and is working on his Master's Degree in Marine Biology.

Pankow joined FKEC in 1994 as a mapping technician. He was later promoted to his position as Supervisor of the Marathon Generation facility. "It is very rewarding to work with a fine group of people," Pankow states. "Being surrounded by talented, good natured individuals while being directed by dedicated and knowledgeable supervisors makes it so."